Mattress Shopping Advice Needed

• 

  Hybroid on 12/06/2025 - 22:46

  +5

  Go to a Homemaker centre and try out all the different brands. We ended up with the Silentnight Chelsea and absolutely loved it.

  https://www.bedsndreams.com.au/products/silentnight-chelsea?…

  But it doesn't matter what a thousand reviews you read say, it's ultimately your preference.

  • 

    buckethat on 12/06/2025 - 23:07

    Yeah might do - just with the traditional big box stores with all the brands, I'm not sure I trust the sales people to actually know what they're recommending and just blowing smoke up my rear.

    • 

      Hybroid on 12/06/2025 - 23:35

      "No, thank you, I'm just browsing" and do your own thing.

      • 

        EightImmortals on 13/06/2025 - 07:36

        +3

        Throws missus on the bed…..

        • 

          Nugs on 13/06/2025 - 09:49

          -2

          @EightImmortals: if you are going to call her the missus, why not refer to it correctly as the work bench…..:)
          .

    • 

      EFC94 on 13/06/2025 - 09:22

      On the flip side (and I do agree with you about the sales people), do you know enough about mattresses to make an informed decision about whats good and/or bad? If you go on a website for one of those mattress in a box companies you'll just be bombarded by marketing about how their mattress with 6 different layers of material is so much better than the other company with 8 layer.

      If you're happy with your current mattress just try and find the same model (probably updated though) and buy that again.

• 

  Jimothy Wongingtons on 12/06/2025 - 23:02

  At least if you got bed in box most have x night trial offers. Just make sure you read all the t and c before committing.

  stiff neck

  Also maybe worth checking in with a physio - and trying a new pillow to ensure proper support.

  • 

    buckethat on 12/06/2025 - 23:09

    +1

    Tried all different types of pillows, including those expensive Tempur ones. Turns out the best for me has been the $40 latex aldi one.

    Have gone to a physio, they've just recommended resistance band stretches which has helped.. but I reckon the bed is the culprit..

    • 

      EightImmortals on 13/06/2025 - 07:38

      Ha, same thing here, spent a fortune on pillows and bought the $40 'Dream Science' pillow from Pillow Talk, stuffed all the extra foam in and it's been great.

• 

  Protractor on 12/06/2025 - 23:03

  +1

  Do you regularly flip and rotate your mattress?

  • 

    buckethat on 12/06/2025 - 23:09

    Not nearly as often as I probably should.. I'll do that tonight.

    • 

      Jimothy Wongingtons on 12/06/2025 - 23:11

      +2

      Please tell me last time was not like 9.5 years ago 😭

      • 

        buckethat on 12/06/2025 - 23:19

        +1

        Haha you’re giving me too much credit!

        But in all seriousness.. the last time was probably over 9 months ago and prior to that.. maybe under 2 years..

        • 

          Protractor on 13/06/2025 - 09:51

          @buckethat: Don't throw $$ and a healthy back away. Schedule the turns, even if only every 2 or 3 months.
          Monthly would be better.

• 

  Karl from ausbeds on 12/06/2025 - 23:17

  +5

  I've also got a lot of rants about buying a mattress in my reddit posts, they may help - https://www.reddit.com/user/karlatausbeds/

  I wrote a long one the other day for someone in melbourne, I'll just recycle it right here to save typing it out again :)

  Here it is -

  What I would do if I were in Melbourne.

  Highish budget - I'd probably go to becks bedding first, if it's comfy you know it will last as they use the best materials in the biz, You wont find a mattress like that at a retailer. Also, you will talk to someone who makes them. Trust me on this, talking to someone that makes mattresses is better than talking to someone in retail that is trying to get commission for the sale. It's also better than trying to decide if a boxed mattress will be comfy for you.

  Lower budget, I'd try the Melbourne mattress factory, he uses latex, he has zippered covers, he can adjust the if they are uncomfy.

  Or, check out the other ones on this page, this is people that make them - https://www.ausbeds.com.au/whats-the-best-mattress-in-austra…

  Get the one that feels good, simple as that, ignore everything else. If you get something too soft you'll hammock into it, too firm and it'll put pressure on the spine, you want a neutral feel. hard to explain, but people that make them can certainly guide you here. There is no better guide than trying them in a room and talking to someone who makes them.

  Also, as a final tip,

  You will come across a lot of nonsense in your search for a mattress, it will confuse and overwhelm you.

  In order to simplify this process, my advice is to disregard exactly 100% of it and reprioritise how you approach it based on some priorities that are easy to understand, and make sense. Here are those priorities.

  Priority 1: It MUST "feel good when you are laying on it."

  All of those brand names and specs don't matter much. What matters is, does it feel good when you are laying on it. is the spring right for your bodyweight. You can't tell that unless you lay on the damn thing.

  Be guided by how it feels when you are laying on it. Not by all of the marketing nonsense.

  Priority 2: Durability (How long it lasts)

  Latex on pocket springs is the gold standard for longevity.

  For me personally, I would rather have a comfortable mattress for 3 years, than an uncomfortable one that lasts 20. Comfort always comes first. It's not ideal to replace a mattress every 3 years, but to me it's better than being uncomfy EVERY NIGHT.

  However this would never happen to me, because I would always choose latex on springs.

  • This is the very short version, dig into my reddit posts, youtube videos if you want to learn some more. I only say stuff that I have found out on my mattress building journey.

  I really like sharing it all because so many people have trouble understanding this very important thing, and the marketing for mattresses makes it extremely confusing.

  However, there really is no need to dig further in, the above 2 priorities will guide you to something good. However one post I recommend to everyone is the one about bed bases. You simply cannot solve the mattress problem if your base sucks, check that first by reading this - https://www.reddit.com/r/Mattress/comments/1e1jtw2/before_yo…

  • 

    buckethat on 12/06/2025 - 23:27

    It’s Karl from Ausbeds! I was secretly hoping that you would chime in with some advice and here you at literally at the 11th hour!

    I hadn’t seen your post so thank you for reposting, I will check out Becks Bedding.

    Also thanks for the reading material, I’m probably gonna spend the next hour in my soon to be rotated bed reading them.

    I’m entering the third decade of my life this year and my body has started to be pretty clear that I need to start investing in better sleep.

    • 

      Shadowsfury on 13/06/2025 - 08:53

      Went with Melbourne Mattress Factory 6m ago when we moved to new home and wanted new bed - been really happy with it. Love how the topper can be replaced when it starts sagging a bit which I'm sure will make it feel new again when the time comes.

      Went with King extra firm, with base and bedhead from them.

      Gonna purchase a Queen from them soon for the guest bedroom.

      As Karl says I'd rather buy directly from sdomeone making the beds than a salesroom.

      • 

        buckethat on 13/06/2025 - 10:03

        Just gave Becks Bedding a call and I’ll probably have to give them a pass. Their mattress is out of my price range for King size.

        I’ll probably go down to Melbourne Mattress Factory and have a look at their Pocket Spring Latex beds tomorrow. Probably gonna get base and bedhead too.

• 

  sharkyoz on 12/06/2025 - 23:17

  i bought bed/base from Melbourne Mattress factory 3 months ago.
  Paid a grand all up ($600BED/$400 BASE) and very happy with my purchase.
  A bit stiff first week but that settled.
  Definitely worth a look.

• 

  ForkSnorter on 13/06/2025 - 06:59

  find myself waking up with stiff neck

  Get a thicker pillow. Stiff memory foam that doesn't sink too much.

• 

  RockyRaccoon on 13/06/2025 - 07:56

  +1

  Here is my experience.

  Have bought over the years in box, just foam and in store inner spring mattresses.

  First it depends on your weight. The heavier you are the more likely the mattress will sag sooner.

  In store experiences are just that. You can tell the difference between firm and soft and how that suits, BUT it really doesnt tell you how it will be after a few months. The top layer can sag and its NOT so FIRM anymore, then when you complain, they can tell you its within spec. On a $2000 plus bed thats very disappointing. This was my instore purchase experience

  I then went on the mattress in a box route. Started with a single that was in the guest room. Thats stood up well. But its used mainly by visiting kids and maybe once or twice a month. It was firm, and has remained so.

  Decided that since I was a heavier build, maybe a mid priced "in the box" mattress, in my case firm, was better and if it lasts say 3-4 years I can afford to replace it rather than buy a top of line mattress and hold on to it for 10 years.

  For me this has worked, my current in the box has gone 2 years and is still quite firm. 3-4 months rotation.

  I originally purchased an Emma, and that started to sag. Was that within spec? In dont know, but it didnt feel as firm and I got concerned it may get worse. So within the refund period, I took the refund offered. All good. I then ordered the OneBed, which had similar guarantee. Thats the "one" I am using now.

  Note - while Emma had some quirky refund requirements and didnt suit me, I was satisfied with their guarantee. I felt they were reputable to deal with. Have recommended people consider their mattress and a friend is happy with theirs.

  I cant verify OneBeds guarantee as I havent needed it, but very happy with the product, no sore backs.

  So in summary. Pay more for a longer term, or less for a shorter term. In the future you'll know which was the better. or will you?

  • 

    Karl from ausbeds on 13/06/2025 - 09:19

    +2

    You seem like a logical and analytical person, you are dead right about most of your observations. I'm making them and selling them directly to my customers for more than 13 years. I can fill in your missing gaps for you.

    "BUT it really doesnt tell you how it will be after a few months. The top layer can sag and its NOT so FIRM anymore, then when you complain, they can tell you its within spec."

    What you are talking about here is the poly-foam. its plastic with bubbles in it.This is the single reason that people have to spend thousands of dollars every few years, it's the reason the mattress shop has it's classic line "it's within 2 inches so it's normal wear".

    The thing is, it doesn't matter if it's within the shops spec, what actually matters here is if you can sleep/are-comfortable/aligned on the thing.

    Polyfoam has lost its structure and with it, it's ability to distribute pressure away from your pressure points long before any visual dipping has occurred. This fact made me so mad many years ago that I figured all of this stuff out. I went to the bottom of the rabbit hole. I built a factory.

    The answer to this is, make sure there is zero, or very minimal plastic foam. Follow those two rules and you will win. This is impossible in the retail store / and bed in a box. These are plastic shops.

    To make this very difficult for you, retailers and bed in a box will call there mattresses latex when in-fact, they are not. I open customers old mattresses and they may say latex in the outside, but inside, there might be a 1cm or 2 cm slice of latex, the other 80 or 90% is plastic foam. This gives the amazing product us mattress factory owners love, a very bad name.

    Hey, I get why they do it, plastic foam is extremely cheap, quick and easy to get, I can order 5 pieces of it and it'll turn up at my door in 2 days.

    Latex? I have to order a container, it takes 3 months, and I have to store it all somewhere, it's much more difficult to get latex to people.

    Here's my cheat sheet here,

    Find a mattress company that you can walk into the factory and see them making the mattresses. buy a pocket-spring latex mattress from those people. Make sure it's comfy.

    If you follow that rule, you will no longer face mattress dipping issues.

    Why is this? retailers and bedinabox are middle men. They use ads to get sales. they don't care if you do a return, they have systems designed to get around your complaints. They just see numbers, choose the cheaper foam, shave cost on the springs, make more money. These guys spend so much on advertising, they have no choice. Casper boxed mattress in usa went public and it was revealed that 30% of the sale price of the mattress, was digital ad spend, and that was 5 years ago when it was much cheaper.

    Independent Factories aren't marketers, the website looks like trash, they are busy making mattresses.The way they build their business is by word of mouth, reputation. So they'll add to the cost of the mattress to improve word of mouth. The better the product, the better they look after people, the more people will come back. The independant factory doesn't know how to compete in the marketing space with companies that are full-time marketers and they simply can't compete in that arena..

    The companies that are full time marketers don't understand the importance of using the higher density foams/fitting the customer to the mattress/using more wire in the springs.

    These companies are incentivised differently, and hence, behave differently.

    With mattresses, If the website looks like trash, you are on the right track. It means they have no marketing department and they rely on word of mouth.

    • 

      RockyRaccoon on 13/06/2025 - 13:51

      Nice thoughts and I am sure that helps the OP.

      No criticism here, however in my case, Latex starts the itches big time, so I can't go that route.

      As you said, its being analytical, and its whats right for me.

      But like everything in bedding, its never the same for everyone.

      I am sure many here will get some great insights from your explanations.

• 

  shaybisc on 13/06/2025 - 08:27

  +4

  I am not convinced that lying on a mattress in a shop tells you anything about how comfortable that mattress will be after a night's sleep.

  "When allowed to test mattresses in a typical showroom experience, individuals appear to choose mattresses that do not optimize their sleep."

  https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/choosing-best-matt…

• 

  nomoneynoproblems on 13/06/2025 - 09:45

  Go to Melbourne mattress factory or any mattress builder. Forget the ones in a box or your bog Standard Harvey Norman types. They are a rort. A mattress builder is soooo much better value it’s not even funny.

  • 

    buckethat on 13/06/2025 - 10:03

    Yeah might just do that this time round, Melbourne Mattress Factory is on my agenda tomorrow.

    • 

      here for deals on 13/06/2025 - 13:23

      Also worth looking into Mattress Island. Bought a mattress from them a month ago. I know a month not too long in terms of mattress life. But we are happy so far.
      I looked at Mattress Island and Becks Bedding based on Karl's (Karl from AusBeds) suggestion. Becks bedding was a little out of my budget. Mattress Island had loads of videos on their website for my learning.

• 

  JIMB0 on 13/06/2025 - 10:42

  Cut off the foam layer from your existing mattress or if it is single sided simply flip it over. Then add a latex topper. The springs never sag, just the plastic foam on top of them. A 7.5cm latex topper is around $350.

  • 

    Karl from ausbeds on 13/06/2025 - 15:54

    This is true

• 

  Chewy2221 on 13/06/2025 - 10:44

  We were contemplating the purchase of a new mattress - old mattress was getting a bit hard. We opted to buy a mattress topper instead . A lot cheaper & a good night's sleep. Good luck with your consideration.

• 

  Drakesy on 13/06/2025 - 12:02

  Just to note, the mattress in a box approach tend to have poor edge support (could slide off the side).

• 

  Dejaar on 13/06/2025 - 12:46

  Go to an independent mattress maker and get one which is double sided rhen you flip it every 2 wks and it lasts 20yrs.

  • 

    buckethat on 13/06/2025 - 12:54

    every 2 weeks is insane!